


Vanilla Salt

by brookcampbell, SpackJarrow



Series: Periodic Table One Shots [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Student/Teacher, Bonding, Chemistry, Coffee, Coffee Shops, Drunken Flirting, Drunken Kissing, Drunken Shenanigans, Drunkenness, Education, Educational, Eventual Romance, F/M, Falling In Love, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Growing Up, Interviews, Light Angst, Loving Marriage, Male-Female Friendship, Marriage, My First Work in This Fandom, Nerdiness, Nobility, One Shot, One Shot Collection, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Platinum blonde, Questions, Research, Romance, Soul Bond, Students, Surprise Kissing, Teacher-Student Relationship, Vanilla
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 06:13:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29431509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brookcampbell/pseuds/brookcampbell, https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpackJarrow/pseuds/SpackJarrow
Summary: Her name was Clementine of Chlorine. His name was Nathaniel of Sodium. This is their story...
Relationships: Nathaniel of Sodium x Clementine of Chlorine, Sodium x Chloride
Series: Periodic Table One Shots [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2161947
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	Vanilla Salt

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I worked really hard to try and finish it by Valentine's Day but alas, there was too much to write. So, to keep to the publication date I promised when I first announced I was going to make this series of one shots, here is the first part of it! Hope y'all will enjoy!
> 
> Also, here is a link to the discord for Chronicles of Atomia: https://discord.gg/SW7Pjjq3Hx

Clementine’s heels clicked loudly against the polished marble floor as she hurried to the library. She glanced at her watch and exhaled in exasperation. Her bus had been delayed and now she was going to be late for the meeting with a professor at the National University of Atomia (NUA). With the doors of the library in sight, she attempted to jog but stumbled immediately and cursed herself for choosing to wear such shoes. She tugged on her coat in a pointless attempt to straighten it, checked her reflection in the glass, and finally pushed open the doors to the rush of air-conditioned wind. 

Professor Nathaniel of Sodium was not difficult to recognise. His platinum blonde hair was easily spotted in the crows. Clementine glanced at her watch again. Relief flooded her, she was just on time. 

“Good morning, Professor, sorry for keeping you waiting.” She smiled sheepishly at him and extended her hand for a shake. He rose and took it. 

“Oh, it’s not a problem! No, not at all. Contrary to popular belief, I’m not always in a rush to be somewhere,” he said with a warm smile. 

They both took their seats opposite each other at the table. Using the time she took to get her materials out, she tried to slow her breathing and calm her heart. “Rushing? Nope, definitely not for me,” she mused. She felt the professor’s heavy gaze on her. It was not intended to be creepy, it was just one of curiosity. That was how Nathaniel worked. He liked to observe things, analyse them, take them apart, and put them back together. Atomians often assumed he was a sociopath, but no, he was just fascinated by the world and did not bother hiding it.

“Alright, I just have a few questions regarding, ah, ionic bonding. It’s for a research I’m conducting and it won’t take too much time,” Clementine began as she flipped to a blank page in her notebook and uncapped her pen. Nathaniel regarded its filled pages with curiosity, clearly interested to find out what information flooded them. “He seems very intelligent,” Clementine thought. And it was true, he was indeed intelligent, for despite his youth, he had already published several books, was well-recognised as a researcher specialising in the way atoms work and teaching at one of the top universities in Atomia. Clementine found that very admirable of him.

Abruptly, she shook her fascination aside and began the interview. It was essential that she gathered as much information as possible before she dived right into becoming an ion herself, forever bonded with another until energy separates them.

Coming from the east side of the periodic table, Clementine of Chlorine had grown up only one Group away from the Noble Gases. Ergo, she spent much of her childhood with the Atomians from Group 0, but she was not to be mistaken as one of them. That had not mattered much for years. To her, it had been good enough to be a pure element, She was even proud of it. But that only lasted till she learnt about the true luxury of the Noble Gases.

The Noble Gases had a full shell of valence electrons, achieving a stability that made them one up the rest. They were so unreactive that their skill was looked upon as godly; their tolerance only breaking under particularly extreme conditions. Even then, no other atom could have ever made it that far in the first place. The inertness of the Nobles Gases made them highly valuable as they could be used where reactions are not wanted. For instance, argon is used in incandescent lamps to prevent the hot **tungsten filament** (tungsten is a chemical element with a high melting point of 3410ºC and the filament is the thing in the middle of a light bulb where electricity passes through) from oxidizing; and helium is used in breathing gas by deep-sea divers to prevent oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide toxicity ( **hypercapnia** \- a buildup of carbon dioxide in your bloodstream).

Upon her enlightenment, Clementine’s goal in life was set. She was to achieve a full shell of valence electrons too, no matter what. She may not officially be dubbed as a Noble Gas, but she sure as hell wanted to resemble one. Having been partially raised in Group 0, she was heavily influenced by them and she knew their ways. The only thing she needed was a full shell of valence electrons and with a valency of only one, she was sure it was going to be easy. Then she delved into the spiral of research, and to her increasing anguish, found that her ambitions were not so simple. 

“You’re quite intent on getting to the bottom of whatever you’re looking for, aren’t you?” Nathaniel had asked the moment Clementine had wrapped up about three quarters of an hour later. Her face flushed in embarrassment at being so bluntly exposed. Not knowing what to say in response, she just nodded. The awkward silence that followed lasted a moment too long before Nathaniel filled the space again. “May I see your notebook?” he asked, gesturing to the still-open journal on the desktop. Clementine nodded. 

His attention was ensnared immediately. Right off the bat, in depth information painted the page. It was clear what Clementine was searching for. “You’re interested in ionic bonding yourself, I see. It’s quite easy to understand on paper but to experience it for yourself…” He trailed off and glanced from the page to her. The look of defiance so clearly painted across her face greatly amused him. “Fret not, I’m not saying it’s impossible. It’s not even that hard, you just need to find the right one. An ionic bond is strong and you have to choose wisely, but otherwise, it’s quite like any other relationship.”

At that, her expression morphed into one of confusion. It was the first time someone had ever said that her hopes were not out of reach. In fact, everyone greatly opposed it and voiced so whenever the chance arose. Ionic bonding was not a popular topic among many atoms. Clementine found it vastly frustrating, for each time her dream was brutally crushed, her resolve wavered. Nonetheless, her determination always returned. It was only the feeling of doubt that irritated her. 

“That’s the first I’ve heard of anyone saying that this isn’t futile,” she explained with a chuckle. Nathaniel smiled reassuringly and nodded. 

“People often think and say so, but if it has been done before, surely it can be done again,” he said. With a glance at his wrist, his eyebrows rose in surprise at the time. “Well, this took longer than expected. My apologies, I know I did say that I’m usually not that busy, but unfortunately, I have to be off soon.”

“Oh, no worries, no worries! Thank you so much for your time, professor!”

“Call me Nathaniel. Although, I would really like to resume this conversation some other day. Your endeavour interests me too, and I’d like to assist you in whatever way I can. Here, take this.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small business card. It included his number. “Contact me when you can.”

Clementine took the card tentatively, inclining her head the way one does when receiving something one does not quite know what to do with. She thanked him once more, taking his hand in a firm shake, and watched as he rushed to the exit. Her attention returned to the little piece of paper she held, and a small smile graced her lips. This was her favourite part of the research, the making of friendships with atoms that share her interest. Keeping that pleasant thought of acquiring a new friend in mind, she began to keep her things.

* * *

The moment Nathaniel stepped through the door of his apartment, he shrugged off his coat and threw it unceremoniously on the back of his couch. It took only a step for him to reach the table where he ate and worked, and that was where he left the rest of his belongings. Hopping on one foot, he tugged off his socks and shoved them into his laundry basket. With a loud sigh, he collapsed onto his bed. The day had been long and tiring, and as usual, the routine had not changed. No, he corrected himself, it had indeed changed with the meeting of Clementine. Her green eyes came to mind instantly. It surprised him with how clearly he remembered their intensity. Throughout their entire interaction, he could see the curiosity that filled her and the determination that drove her onward through them. Shaking his head to clear the thought of her, he wondered why his mind even wandered in that direction. It must have been the interesting colour of her eyes. They were a beautiful shade of olive and were not easily forgettable. He nodded to himself, he only remembered her because of her eyes. 

Nathaniel surveyed his dimly-lit room, suddenly not quite sure what to do next. It was too early to turn in for the night but too late to tick off anything else on his to-do list. He looked to his satchel where its flap hung upon and his laptop peeked out, enticing him to get some research done. After all, there was always more one could learn. Without meaning to, his mind drifted back to Clementine, her interest in ionic bonding resurfacing in his memory. Deciding that it would be beneficial to revise his notes and add to them in preparation for their next meeting, he made his way to the table. 

Rubbing the fatigue from his eyes, he got to work. While he waited for his laptop to load up, he rummaged through his bag in search of his leather-bound notebook and pen. He shifted his laptop, giving himself some space to write. He flipped to an empty page towards the back of the book, and mentally noted that he would need to get a new one soon. The laptop still had not loaded, but he was used to it. It had served him well for many years already and he would forever be in debt to its service. He started to flip through the pages to pass the time. Yet again, he was reminded of Clementine and her notebook, filled almost to the brim like his. He smiled to himself at the idea of having found a kindred spirit who was as passionate about ionic bonding as he was. It was so rare to find someone that dared to acknowledge it, much less conduct such extensive research. 

In Atomia, the idea of ionic bonding was vastly rejected and controversial. Although there was clear evidence that it existed, not many liked it, especially the more traditional. Covalent bonding, it seemed, was far more mutually beneficial for atoms. Ionic bonding, on the other hand, required a giver and a taker with no reciprocity. Most atoms could not accept why some would want an ionic bond mainly because of that. Often, when you proclaimed that you wanted an ionic bond and have found the right atom for it, everyone around you would question your decision. They would beg you to reconsider, and some might even dismiss it. As a result, most kept it to themselves if they ever found out that they preferred an ionic bond for fear of being scorned. 

The laptop finally loaded. Nathaniel cringed inwardly at the mess of files littered all over his screen as he did every time. He wondered why he had never just shoved everything into one file named “Psychology” or “How Atoms Work” or something. He decided to settle it later. A moment after, he realised that this procrastination was probably the reason for the chaos on his laptop in the first place.

Next to him, his phone suddenly lit up. He glanced over to see the notification of a message from an unknown number. _“Hello! It’s Clementine! Glad that I haven’t chased you off with my questions earlier 😅😅😅”_ it read. Nathaniel raked his hand through his hair in frustration. “Why does this woman keep appearing, it’s only been 15 minutes since I got home and she’s _everywhere_!” he yelled, but only in his head. The walls were thin and his neighbours would not take kindly to him making a ruckus. He decided to leave her on delivered and returned his attention to the screen before him.

* * *

Although the sky was cloudless that day, the sun was merciful and did not bear down on the inhabitants of Atomia. Clementine, in her summer dress and sun hat, strolled down the aisle of the market set up in the town square. She stopped at one of the flower stalls, attention caught by a bouquet of calla lilies. Nathaniel’s platinum blonde hair came to mind instantly, and with a start, she remembered that they were supposed to have a meeting. In a hurry, lest she forget later, she reached for the phone within her purse to text him. Coincidentally, he was online as well. She ignored the dry hello and jumped straight to the point. _“We were supposed to have a meetup!!!!!!”_ she texted.

_“Oh yeah, we were.”_

_“I know a coffee shop near the Uni where we could go 😄😄😄 It’s quite cozy too :D”_

_“Sure, give me a time and date and I’ll check my schedule.”_

Clementine barely contained her eye roll at the boring way he texted. She told him she would check her planner later, too, then dropped her phone back into her purse. Returning to the variety of flowers arranged and displayed in front of her, she picked a small bouquet of the very flowers that had caught her eye in the first place and paid the vendor. These flowers would do very nicely on her dining table. As she admired their petals, she could not help but look forward to their meeting again. He _was_ undeniably eye candy, she had to admit. 

About a week later, Clementine awaited Nathaniel at Your Friendly Neighbourhood Bean. This time, she was early, having decided that she was never going to be late again. 

“Good morning!” Nathaniel greeted, pulling his chair back. Clementine glanced up from her phone to see him shrugging off the very same coat she had seen him with the day they first met. She wondered at how many coats he actually had as he draped it over the back of his chair. 

As he sat down, Nathaniel looked around the coffee shop. “You have good taste in cafes,” he told her, a grin playing on his lips. To his surprise, he found her laughter music to his ears, not because he thought she never laughed, but more because of how much he liked the sound of it. 

After ordering their picks, Clementine initiated the conversation. “So, I was wondering, if I were to find someone for an atomic bond, what should I look for in them?” 

Nathaniel was taken aback by the forthright question. She did not ease in with small talk apparently, she cuts right to the chase, he noted. His answer was hesitant, not quite knowing what to say. 

Clementine did not miss the pained expression on his face. Thinking that her original question was too hard to answer, she backtracked and asked, “Otherwise, what would _you_ look for in an ionic bond partner, if you wanted one?”

Their drinks arrived in the opportune moment. Nathaniel seized the chance to think about his answer in more depth, relief flooding his face. It was not as easy to answer as she had thought, for he had never really considered it before. 

Not wanting to let him escape so easily, Clementine turned her expectant gaze back to him the moment the waitress left. 

“Uh,” he began, stalling for time. “Well, I would say to consider the usual qualities one would seek in a partner. And you must be able to tolerate them quite well. And, um, since- For your case, you’re the one receiving the electron, so you probably should find someone that’s more generous and won’t expect anything in return, y’know?” He paused again to think, but Clementine mistook the pause for an ending and launched into another question. Nathaniel really wished she had not. 

“I still don't quite get the process of how the bonding occurs actually. Does it involve some special ceremony or something? Or like, a transfer of DNA, some part of you? Penetration?” 

Nathaniel blanched. He deeply regretted choosing that moment to take a sip from his iced coffee. Lurching forward, he barely avoided spilling his mouth’s contents everywhere. 

“W-what?” he asked, incredulous. He stared at the knowing grin on her face. She knew how uncomfortable that question was, then, but its awkward effect was inflicted only on Nathaniel and not her, so she basked in that. “Cheeky,” he thought. 

“But really, though, what goes on in the process of the bonding?” 

He perked up immediately, shifting in his seat and straightening his back. “Now, that’s where it gets interesting. In fact, not many people have shared their experience with ionic bonding yet. To them, it is a sacred procedure that they hold quite close to heart, so naturally, they wouldn’t share it in such a careless manner. But, from the limited knowledge that we have, it is much like how covalent bonding happens but on a more intimate level. 

So, what happens is, during the ceremony of union, the atoms to be bonded, along with their family, will gather at an area of worship and stand on an altar before a statue of the Empress. Extract from an electronically mutated plant, diluted with water to reduce the severity of its charge, is then shared among the couple. Then, the magic happens. Electric bolts will surround the couple, and a chemical reaction will occur. Depending on the atoms’ origins, the reaction will differ, like their appearance can change, y’know? So, this entire process is really abstract and we still do not know much on it but that’s basically the gist of everything. However, some couples prefer to do this in private and…” 

By then, Clementine had already stopped paying attention to what he was saying, and her focus had shifted. She was mesmerised by the way he gestured and the sparkle in his eyes as he rambled on about a topic he so clearly loved. Clementine was captivated by the way his mouth shaped the words, and the dimples on his cheeks whenever he smiled. She rested her head onto her hand and continued watching him, having long given up on processing his words. 

“Ah, I see, I see,” Clementine muttered after he had finished. She nodded, still deep in thought. 

“Can I get you anything else?” Clementine’s train of thought was finally ruined by a honeyed voice. She lifted her eyes to the intruding party. The question had been directed only at Nathaniel, and it was as if the waitress could not see Clementine at all. The latter narrowed her eyes and cleared her throat. The waitress barely spared her a glance. 

Nathaniel, sensing the rising tension, quickly shook his head, but made the mistake of smiling at the waitress. She returned a coy smile that enraged Clementine for reasons she could not place a finger on. Jealousy? Nah, she had nothing to be jealous about. Nathaniel was good looking after all, she was just mad that the waitress had so boldly ignored her. Yes, that was it. 

“Thank you, you may piss off now,” she longed to say but could not. In the end, she settled with a glare at the waitress’s retreating back, and cursed the way she purposely swayed her hips enticingly. 

After that, much to both of their disappointment, the conversation became strained. Finally, it was decided that they should resume the conversation another day. Nathaniel called for the bill and insisted on paying for Clementine too, treating her to the cappuccino and chocolate cake she ordered. Her previous temper could not help but dissipate at that. 

That night, Clementine was back in her study room, researching again. This time, she focused less of her attention on the technical bits of ionic bonding, and shifted her subject to the emotional aspect of it. She visited blog after blog about the experience of other atoms, and browsed site after site of advice on atomic bonding. Inadvertently, she had sent at least three quarters of her findings to Nathaniel, and even added her own thoughts on top. The result was a large amount of spam that included far too many emojis and unnecessary punctuation. 

The very next morning, she was greeted with a pleasant surprise of Nathaniel replying to almost each and every message of hers. He had also taken the time to look through all the linked websites, and even added his own opinions on top. Clementine could not deny the fact that she was very touched by the amount of effort put in to entertain her. Although she decidedly chose to ignore the warmth that tugged at her heartstrings. 

That marked the beginning of their daily digital conversations that were excessive for anyone that did not understand the developing dynamic of their relationship. And through that, they began to learn more about each other. Clementine soon learnt about Nathaniel’s exaggerated aversion to busy bodies. And Nathaniel soon learnt about Clementine’s great dislike of miscommunication. They were both messy, but hated any unsystematic process. They hated the hassle of shopping for clothes, but liked to dress nicely. Bit by bit, they started to expose themselves to one another. 

Before long, they had arranged their next meeting. The two had grown closer together over the past week, and Clementine could not help the way her heart thrummed in excitement when the day rolled about. It was almost like a date, she mused. The thought came unbidden to her head and she immediately shook it away, shocked at herself for even thinking that way. Instead, she busied herself with choosing an outfit for the day. 

By the time Clementine had finally narrowed down her choices to a beige crew neck over a collared shirt paired with a skirt, or a denim overall with a striped, long-sleeved top, she suddenly realised that she was already five minutes late. Cursing under her breath, she grabbed the beige crew neck outfit and rushed to change. Thanking the heavens on her way out, she was glad that the coffee shop was not too far from her home as she ran to the place. 

“Hey Nate, sorry, I was late!” Clementine said in between breaths, panting as she plunked herself onto the seat opposite him. She quickly froze up when she realised what she had just said. During one of their late night discussions, Clementine had unconsciously started calling him Nate, but had not actually used it till now. 

Clementine flushed self consciously while Nathaniel quickly reassured her that it was no big deal. At last, she cooled down. Then a new problem presented itself. Clementine realised how sweaty and red she must have been, having run all the way from her home to here. The shade of her cheeks started to deepen again. However, that was soon forgotten as she realised that Nathaniel had ordered her usual, a cappuccino and a slice of chocolate cake. He remembered it from when she told him during their texting sprees! 

Clementine blushed at his thoughtful gesture, but chased the lingering thought of “IT’S A DATE!” away. She would be professional, she resolved.

Nathaniel smiled at her, clearly amused by her internal battle, or what he could see of it. 

Clementine cleared her throat and dug out her notebook. It was not the correct time to be distracted by how bright his eyes looked today, or how sweet and dorky he looked wearing that sweater, or the way that he smiled at her, or- “No! Professional!” the professional side of her reprimanded. “Oh, come on, just look at him! He’s so cute!” the not-so-professional side of her counteracted.

Before she could get any more off track, Clementine cleared her throat and began. “So um, I’ve been researching a lot since our last meeting and I think I have a pretty good grasp on the process of the bonding and, y’know, the technical bits. However, another topic that I’ve been looking into is the different elements available for the bonding.” Clementine took out her laptop as she spoke, continuing where she had left off last night. 

“From what I know so far, the possible candidates can be from Hydrogen, Lithium, Sodium, Potassium, Rubidium, Cesium or Francium,” she listed, counting them off her fingers. “So I’ve been wanting to ask your advice on which element you would think would be best for me? Of course I do know a few people from each element that I am close with and can bond with…”

As Clementine chattered, she failed to notice the jealous expression that crept onto Nathaniel's face as she named all the possible atoms she had interest in. Unbeknownst to Clemetine, Nathaniel was internally warring with himself. A part of him wanted to be a good friend and continue helping Clementine find her true match so that she could be happy. But the majority of him wanted to selfishly claim all of her attention as his.

Clementine stopped talking abruptly, and Nathaniel was momentarily brought out of his jealous rage. The waitress from the other day had come again, this time with a tray of drinks in hand. She did not stop directly at their table, but her intention was clear as she sashayed to the neighbouring one. “Dumb bimbo,” Clementine thought, and she did not chastise herself for it. The waitress just irked her, honestly. 

  
On her way back to the counter, she strutted by again. Coincidentally, her tray tipped at that moment, and the lonely glass of water spilled onto Nathaniel’s lap. He cursed loudly as the ice cold liquid hit him while Clementine gasped in surprise. 

“Oh my gosh, I am so sorry! Here, let me help you!” the waitress said, reaching for the cloth she so readily had on standby. Clementine watched with increasing suspicion as she reached for places on Nathaniel she should not be going to. Nathaniel’s face contorted into an expression of great discomfort as the waitress bent over him, looking to Clementine with beseeching eyes and pleading for her help. A part of her wanted to laugh at his predicament, but mostly, she just wanted to kick the waitress’s teeth in. Her amusement was smothered by jealousy and irritation, and her vision narrowed onto the waitress, completely missing Nathaniel’s silent plea. 

“Hey, can you not?” she finally snapped, her tone so icy the waitress actually froze. “You do realise that what you’re doing is very, _very_ questionable right? And, I’m like, right here? Hey, look at me when I’m talking to you! He’s not handicapped, I’m quite sure that he can clean up after himself, and you don’t need to help. Especially when it’s been spilled on places like that.” 

The waitress straightened stiffly, and Nathaniel visibly sagged in relief. Nodding in the direction of the counter suggestively, Clementine was fuming. Not only was the waitress’s behaviour unacceptable, but she was acting as if she was not in the wrong at all! She tossed her head in a final act of defiance, and sashayed back to where she came from. Clementine shot her another glare before turning her attention back to Nathaniel. He mouthed the words “Thank you,” to her, and it soothed her still-raging temper.

After that, conversation resumed quite smoothly. Soon enough, their subject had shifted away from the rather boring topic of atomic bonding to things closer to heart. They spoke for hours. Soon, the sun started to set and the coffee shop was also preparing to close. They did not want to be a bother to the staff, but still wanted to continue talking, so the pair soon found themselves walking back home together. Internally, Clementine was trying to calm herself, “Act cool Clementine, it’s not as if you have any reason to be shy. Nope, just walking down a street with one of the most beautiful men I have known, at close proximity.” She silently shrieked as her shoulder brushed against Nathaniel’s yet again. 

“Hey, Clementine, do you drink? Alcohol, that is.” Clementine was shook out of her reverie as Nathaniel’s warm voice graced her ears. The two had stopped in front of what looked to be a bar with bright neon lights spelling out “CLOUD NINE”. Eager to spend as much time as possible with Nathaniel, she agreed immediately. 

While the bright, flashing lights and loud thumping music was not something that Clementine enjoyed, a cool pint of beer was. Whilst sipping on her beer, Clementine watched as Nathaniel expertly ordered what looked to be gin, before navigating his way through the crowd to her. He never failed to surprise her, and she was always learning something new about him. 

Upon sitting next to her, Nathaniel lifted his glass and tipped back its contents, all whilst looking Clementine straight in the eye. Knowing a challenge when she saw one, Clementine in turn gulped down a healthy amount of her beer.

“See who gets drunk faster?” Clementine probed. 

Nathaniel raised an eyebrow in amusement. “Hell yeah, I want to see you faint!”

“You sure you’re going to be awake when that happens?” Clementine retorted, taking another big gulp from her beer. Nathaniel huffed. 

“We shall see, we shall see.”

A glint entered Nathaniel’s eye and before long, they were pouring their drinks down their throats like there was no tomorrow. While Clementine was known to be able to hold her alcohol very well, Nathaniel certainly faced quite a challenge. Two hours and three pints of their respective alcohols later, both of them were red-faced and bent over, laughing at the dumbest things. 

Clementine was half slung over Nathaniel’s shoulder while her left hand seemed to be busy exploring the softness that was Nathaniel’s hair. He too was sprawled over the table and laughing over something that Clementine had said at least half an hour ago. All in all, they were the perfect example for the word “drunk”.

“Hey Clemmy!” Nate snorted at the self made nickname. “Do you want to play 20 questions?” he barely managed to slur out. 

“SURE!” Clementine answered with equal enthusiasm. Nathaniel started shushing her, partially surprised that she was able to make such a loud noise. “What’s your favourite colour?” Clementine had gone from her deafening shout, to a quiet whisper after Nathaniel’s condescending shush. 

“Trees! Haha, ‘cause they’re the colour of your eyes!” Nathaniel gurgled. 

“Aww, you’re so sweet!” 

“No no, I’m not sweet, nope! I'm salty as a potato chip from Pringles, once I get with you, Clemmy dear!” Nathaniel wiggled his eyebrows suggestively before losing his train of thought again. 

“Mine’s white by the way,” Clementine retorted with a dorky smile.

The two continued on like this, from siblings to pets, movies to books, they seemed to have a never ending list of questions for each other. Despite being partially unconscious throughout the duration of their conversation, Clementine’s brain seemed to have allocated a spot specifically for touching Nathaniel’s hair and crushing on him. 

With everything that Clementine learned about him, she seemed to fall further and further for him. As he gave her that dorky smile and incoherent answer, all Clementine could think of was how perfect he was for her. His love for reading late at night, his guilty pleasure of action films and secret obsession with the Wizarding World aligned with Clementine’s perfectly. 

“Ok ok last question.” Clementine eagerly wiggled in her stool as she nursed her glass of water. The bartender had taken pity on them both and offered them some water to sober them up. Although, Nathaniel still seemed to be drunk.

Clementine had been dutifully answering his drunk questions, amused, and was getting to know “drunk Nate” better. She was sad that the night was coming to an end, but was glad to end it on a high note.

“What do,” she paused for dramatic effect, “my lips taste like?” Clementine had asked jokingly, not expecting an answer but wanted to see Nathaniel flounder about for a reaction. 

“Hmm, I don’t know. Let me try.” Without thinking, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. 

Clementine was stunned for a moment, taken aback by his bold response. His chapped but warm lips moved slowly against hers, a hint of gin on his breath. But almost immediately, she recovered and returned his gentle kiss. It started out as soft, but slowly grew more passionate and needy. Clementine wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed closer, eager for his touch. They stayed like this for as long as they could, until finally, they had to pull apart for air, foreheads still touching and panting. Clementine’s lips curled into a smile.

“So?” she asked after he drew back, an eyebrow raised. “What did you think, hmm?”

* * *

That night, as Nathaniel lay in bed trying to fall asleep, he ran through the day’s happenings in his muddled mind again. The moment he got to Clementine listing her potential partners, the unfamiliar feeling of great jealousy roared up like a fire within him again. The idea of Clementine loving another infuriated him, and with a jolt, he realised that he had actually fallen in love. How had he been so blind to it before now? He loved the way she always stood up for what she thought was right. He loved her sense of humour, and the way she made it seem so effortless. He loved how she was always thinking of something new. She could make him smile during the toughest of days, make him see reason when he was particularly stubborn. Her olive green eyes reminded him of the tranquility of nature, her bright smile that always reminded him of the sun, beaming upon him. Thinking of her never failed to make his day. How did he not see it sooner?

And as he thought about her and everything he would do to court her, he finally drifted off to sleep. 

The next morning seemed surreal after his realisation. He was  _ in love, _ of all things. He really thought he would have gone bungee jumping before he fell down this rabbit hole, but life was full of surprises. The afternoon went by in a breeze, even his students’ antics seemed more tolerable. And that evening, he eagerly looked through the messages he received from friends and family that day in search for Clementine’s. But to his great disappointment, he found that her daily spam was missing. Perhaps she had not gotten home yet, she could be busy and not have the time to spam him yet. He came up with all sorts of reasons for her lack of messages as the hours went by, but with each chime of his annoying cuckoo clock, he steadily grew more anxious. 

Ultimately, he could not take it any longer, and decided to text her and ask after her. By the time he was ready to turn in for the night, Clementine still had not replied, but it was not uncommon for her to leave people on delivered for hours. He reassured himself that it was not a big deal because of that horrendous habit of hers. 

The next morning, he still had not heard from her and he had started to get really worried. He would jump at every notification to check his phone, but he was greeted with disappointment each time. It was not until right before the lecture started did Clementine finally reply to him. 

_ “I’m sick. Sorry.” _ No emojis. No spamming of punctuation. Short and sweet. Not like Clementine at all. 

Nathaniel’s panic doubled. If she texted so mundanely, something was definitely wrong. She was probably really sick, maybe with a high fever? Was she okay? Is there someone taking care of her? It should be him, he should be the one there for her too. The urge to call her and check in on her was overwhelming. He really considered cancelling the lecture and going to Clementine instead. Then the students started filing in and it was too late to desert.

During the lesson, his mind kept wandering back to Clementine. He could not stop worrying about her condition. How sick was she, really? To reassure himself, Nathaniel repeatedly told himself to calm down, and that somebody was surely looking after Clementine. However, this backfired and instead of soothing his nerves, he started feeling jealous of whoever was tending to her. Even though he knew that it was wrong, Nathaniel could not help himself. Why was he the one to be stuck here instead?

His distraction began to show; he was constantly losing track of what he was saying and repeating points that were already mentioned. The students had also started to notice, and were even discussing among themselves, what had happened to the prof.? 

At last, one brave student took one for the team and spoke up, “Sir, are you okay? You seem very distracted today.”

The lecture hall was pin drop silent as Nathaniel stared at the brave atom. He was truly taken aback by the fact that his students could see that his mind was not in the classroom with them, but in some place else. Usually, he prided himself in being very stoic and professional, especially at work. It was a wake-up call, and he swore that for the rest of the lecure, he would focus on the task hand and worry about Clementine later.

He failed horribly. In the end, he had to end the lecture early and promise the students that he would revisit the topic another day. They were ahead of schedule anyway. Thankfully, the students understood that there was something impactful going on in their professor’s life and did not make a fuss. In fact, they had actually wished Nathaniel well as they left the lecture hall. 

Deciding he could not wait until he got home to call Clementine, he rushed to his car and slammed the door behind him the moment he jumped in. He rummaged through his bag in a frenzy, searching for his phone. To his frustration, he keyed in the lock screen password wrong two times but on his third try, he finally got in and went straight to dialing in her number. 

“Hello?” a young, male voice answered. 


End file.
